Feeding mechanism for web material.



E. M', HAWKINS.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR WEB MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30. 1915.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

E. N3. HAWKINS.

fEEDlNG MECHANISM FOR WEB MATERIAL.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 30, 1915.

J Mg

M LA

EDGAR M. HAWKINS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK,

ASSGNOR TO M. D. KNOWLTON COM- ]PNY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

FEEDING- MECHNISM FOR WEB MATERTAL.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.. 3, T918.

Application led December 30, 1,915. Serial No. 69,461.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that` I, EDGAR M. HAWKINS, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding Mechanism for Web Material., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a feeding mechanism for feeding a web of material to a machine adapted for Aperforming certain operations thereupon, and it may be made a part of such a machine or be separately mounted for coperation therewith, as desired. In the present case, itl is shown as part of a machine forming the subject-mat ter of an application of C. R. Seymour and O. M. Hoch, Serial No. 69,097 filed December28, 1915, which is especially designed for receiving a web of single-faced or doublefaced corrugated board, and to cut the same into blanks or portions of predetermined length, and then to trim the edge portions of the blanks so formed, and if desirable, provide the blanks with bending creases. This machine was designed especially for re-V ceiving single-faced or double-faced corrugated board manufactured upon a machine constructed for the purpose and is intended to be located at the rear of the latter machine to receive the board directly therefrom, the two machines when so used constituting in effect a single machine.

The feeding mechanism of my present invention is so positioned as to receive thc web of corrugated board from the .forward part of the machine where it is produced, and feed the same to the rear part of the machine where it is operated upon in -the manner referred to. This feeding mechanism comprises coperating feed rolls which, when properly adjusted, will ordinarily impart the desired continuous and uniform feeding of the web. lif, however,

there should occur a break in the web, oral section of the same should be of less than usual thickness,.th en aninterruption in thel normal feeding of the web would occur, and this, when the web is being fed directly from the front part of the machine tothe rear part, is liable to result in a clogging of the machine. Therefore, it has been the object of my present invention to provide a means, for use in coperation with the regular feed rolls, that will be under the manual the rear control of the operator at all times for quickly restoring the feed of the web when interrupted, without stopping or otherwise interfering with the regular operation of the machine. This object I accomplish, in one form of my invention, byt combining with a pair of feed rolls, a pair of supplemental feed rolls between which the web passes and which are normally spaced to conform with the space between said feed rolls, and means under the control of the operator f or quickly bringing such supplemental rolls into closer relation to compensate for any reduction in thickness of the well and so assure continued feeding of the we The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through the central portion of a machine provided with my improved feeding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a broken section, of that part of the structure shown in Fig. 1 which is provided with the feeding mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section of part of the feeding mechanism.

These views substantially correspond with views in the aforesaid Seymour and Hoch application, in which the feeding mechanism of the present application is fully disclosed, but not claimed.

The various operating parts of the machine are mounted upon a suitable framework, denoted generally by the reference character A. At the forward end of this framework are a plurality of pairs of feed rolls. In the present instance, there are four pairs of such rolls, the rolls of the first pair being shown at 1, those of the second pair at 2, those of the third pair at 3, and those of the fourth pair being shown at 4. As above stated-ythefaeed corrugated board discharged from the forward part of the machine not herein shown is gripped by these rolls and fed to the present machine. The four pairs of rolls just mentioned may, therefore, be more properly termed pull rolls, as they pull the material from the rear end of the machine for manufacturing the faced corrugated board and feed the same to the present machine.

- The top rolls of the first three pairs are made adjustable toward and away from the plan view, partly in lower rolls of such pairs by mounting the journals of the same in bearing boxes 5 (Fig. capable of vertical sliding movements in the side frames of this'part of the machine. The lower roll of each pair is mounted in stationary bearing boxes 6 over which the bearing boxes 5 are yieldingly supported by means of coil springs 7. It will be understood that there is an upper sliding box 5 at each side of the machine for each upperroll of the first three pairs and a lower box 6 at each side of the machine for each of the lower rolls of the irst three pairs, and that a spring 7 serves to support each upper box 5 upon the lower box 6. All of the upper boxes 5 are provided with bosses 8, each. of which isinternally threaded to receive a rotatable -screw-shaft 9. Each of the screw shafts 9 is rotatably mounted in and extends upwardly through a bearing bracket 10 mounted upon the corresponding side frame, and above such bracket each screw shaft is provided with a beveled gear 11. The beveled gears 11 of each pair are rotated from a transverse shaft 12 carrying two beveled pinions 13 to mesh with the two beveled gears 11 of each pair. There are, therefore, three transverse shafts 12, each of which carries two beveled pinions -13) for rotating the beveled gear 11 at each end of one of the rolls. Each of the transverse shafts 12 is provided with a hand wheel 14, by means of which such shaft may be rotated to adjustthe position of the corresponding upper roll toward and away from the underlying bottom roll. It will be obvious that the turning of any one of the shafts 12 will simultaneously rotate the screw shafts 9 at the o posite ends of the corresponding upper feed) roll to raise or lower the two boxes 5 in which such roll is mounted. The springs 7 serve to hold .'he upper rolls the proper distance away from the lower rolls and when the upper rolls are adjusted toward the lower rolls, they are moved against the tension of 'the springs 7 The adjusting mechanism just described is utilized to space the upper roll of each pair the proper distance from the corresponding lower roll to feed the faced corrugated board i without crushing the same.

It will be noted that'the top roll 4 of the fourth pair of rolls is not adjustable by the same type of mechanism asthat just described. j The top roll 4 of this pair is mounted in upper slidin boxes 5 the same as the other top rolls, an the lower roll 4 is mounted in boxes 6 similar to the boxes 6 employed for the other lower rolls, and the upper boxes 5 are supported on the lower boxes 6 by means -of springs 7, just as in the case of the first three pairs of rolls'. Each of the top boxes 5, however, of the top roll .4,-receives the threaded extremityof an arm 15, which extremity is locked to the box 5 by means of a lock nut 16. On each of the side frames is mounted a bracket 17 to which the extremity of a link 18 is pivoted. Each of the arms l5 is pivoted to the mid-portion of the corresponding link 18, as shown at 19. The two links 18 are swung upon the brackets 17 to raise and lower the upper roll 4 by means of a lever 2O disposed at one side of the machine and rigidly secured to a rock shaft 21. The rock shaft 21 at each side of the machine carries a rock arm 22 connected by means of a short link 23 to the extremity of the corresponding link 18. The lever 20 has connected thereto, a chain or c'ord 24 ('Fig. 1) which may extend to an operators station atthe front portion of the machine. In the normal position of the parts, the toggles constituted by the arms 22 and links 23 are straight, in which position the arms 22 abut againstI set screws 25. In this position of the parts, the top roll 4 is in its raised position and is spaced from the corresponding lower roll 4. The set screw 25,

therefore, determines the spacing between boxes 5 of the top rolls of the irst three pairs will be lifted by the springs 7, and when turned in the opposite direction, the screw shafts 9 will force the top boxes 5 downwardly against the tension of the springs 7. The space between the rolls of the fourth pair is adjusted to conform with the space between the rolls of the other pairs by turning the set screw 25., If, for any reason,

there may be a break in the paper passing through the machine and it is desired to start a new portion of the web through the machine, the lever 20 is actuated to depress the top roll 4 and bring it into contact with the corresponding lower roll 4. It may also be desirable to do this in the event that the faced corrugated board passing between the feed or pull rolls is of less than normal thickness, as may be the case if the material for forming the corrugated filler gives out, in which event, the web would not be properly fed forward b `the pull rolls. By actuating the lever 20, t e top roll 4 may be quickly brought into closer relation with the corresponding bottom roll to compensate for the reduction -in thickness of the web, and, tl1erefore,the web will be fed forward and will not clog the machine. When Vthe pull upon the lever 20 is released, the upper roll 4 will return to its normal position, due to the provision of the springs 7 which support the upper boxes of the top roll 4.

These feed or pull rollsl may be driven Iso ttl

by any suitable means. As here shown, they are driven from a shaft 154 which loosely carries a beveled gear 155 meshing with abeveled pinion 156 upon a drive shaft 151 arranged at one side of the machine. A clutch 157 serves to connect or disconnect the gear 155 with the shaft 154. This clutch may be operated by means of a pivoted lever 158 which, in turn, may be actuated by means of a rod 159 running to the side of the machine and actuable by a handle 160 (Fig. 2). The shaft 154 carries at its end remote from the gear 155, a pinion 161 which meshes with two gears 162. Each of these gears is mounted upon a shaft 163 which extends back to the drive side of the machine. At this side of the machine each of the shafts 163 carries a pinion 164, which serves to drive a gear 165 mounted upon one of the shafts of each pair of pull rolls. It will be understood that the two pull rolls of each pair are geared together by two gears 165 and that as one of such gears of each pair is driven by an adjacent pinion 164, all of the feed rolls are positively driven. i

The machine here shown as provided with my improved feeding mechanism, is also provided with a shear mechanism, indicated generally by the reference character B, for cutting the web transversely into predetermined lengths; and with a creasing and slitting mechanism, indicated generally by the reference character C, for creasing and trimming the cut blanks. rlhe partlcular character of the machine in connection with which my improved feeding ,mechanism is employed, however, is immaterial, as will be understood. i

The preferred form of feeding means has been specifically described, but it will be obvious that the parts of the same may be constructed in other ways than that described, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for operating upon a web of material, the combination of a pair of feed rolls adapted to feed the web to the machinepa pair of rolls disposed at the rear one ofthe pairs into closer relation with each other during the operation of the machine, for the purpose described.

3. In a machine for operating upon a web of material, the combination of a plurality of pairs of rolls adapted to feed the webto the machine, a pair of supplemental rolls between which the web passes, the 4rolls of each pair being set a predetermined distance apart, and means under the control of the operator for quickly bringing the rolls of said supplemental pair into closer relation with each other during the operation of the machine.

4. In a machine for operating upon a web of the material, the combination of a pairof rolls adapted to feed the web to the machine, means to adjust said rolls a predetermined distance apart, a pair of supplemental rolls betweenwhich the web passes, and means under the control of the operator for quickly bringing the supplemental .rolls into closer relation with each other during the operation of the machine, vfor the purpose described.

Signed at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York, this 28th day of December A. D., 1915.

EDGAR vM. YHawKiNs.

Witnesses F. A. COLLINS, Jr., Trios. D. PA'rroN. 

